“Without consciousness there would, practically speaking, be no world, for the world exists for us only in so far as it is consciously reflected by a psyche. Consciousness is a precondition of being. Thus the psyche is endowed with the dignity of a cosmic principle, which philosophically and in fact gives it a position co-equal … Continue reading Jung’s Psychological Reflections at Year’s End
Once again, as the year winds down and the fullness of the winter season begins to take hold, we are presented with a whole range of considerations and expectations, which seem to appear typically at this time. For me, this year has been as tumultuous as they come, and there is a flood of concerns … Continue reading Finding Meaning in the Winter Season
We do not always choose to arrive on the path of destiny. We may avoid it at times it if we are determined to do so, but at some point, no matter how desperate we become or how clever we are, one way or another, the path will find us. Occasionally, if we are truly … Continue reading When The Path of Destiny Calls
Since the very first behaviorally modern humans walked the Earth some 50,000 years ago, there has been an enhanced sophistication in their cognitive talents and an expansion of brainpower brought about by a gradually increased utilization of the human brain’s extraordinary architecture. Fossil evidence of significantly more creative activities, like making tools out of bones, … Continue reading Our Most Important Task
MIDWAY upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, For the straightforward pathway had been lost. Ah me! How hard a thing it is to say What was this forest savage, rough, and stern, Which in the very thought renews the fear. So bitter is it, death is … Continue reading A Writer’s Dilemma
Each moment, as we nearer drew to each, A stern respect withheld us farther yet, … Continue reading Contradiction and Truth
“The Buddha taught that our true nature is emptiness- a lack of a permanent Self- and when this true nature is realized, the divine states of the Brahma-viharas - loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity- emerge.” “In the teachings of the great yoga masters, our true nature is Brahman, the universal soul, of which the … Continue reading Our True Nature
Conventional wisdom these days isn't much help when we look ahead to the future of life on earth, since life is fairly unconventional these days by most reckonings, and even what might previously have been described as common sense hardly seems common at all anymore. If there is any consolation to the currently prevailing … Continue reading Intelligence, Cognition, and Consciousness
Contemplating recent comments about what it means to be a conscious human, I began to consider what really distinguishes us from all the other inhabitants of our planet. There are some distinctively human traits to be sure, but it seems more like a combination of several important capacities and foundational characteristics that sets us apart. … Continue reading The Blossoming of Consciousness
With much more time being spent at home these days, I’ve had more time than usual for actually sitting at my desk and have been reading and writing a bit more often, and taking the opportunity to consider more carefully the events in the world-at-large, as well as those closer to home. The photo above … Continue reading Isolation Contemplation
John's Consciousness 